Love Can Break Any Curse
by elfgirl931
Summary: Set during OoT. Koume and Kotake have put a horrible curse on Link, turning him into a monster under their control! It's up to Malon and Navi to save him! MaLink pairing, watch for very cheesy fluff mixed with the adventure!


A Malink Story 

In a secret chamber, deep within the Spirit Temple, two witch sisters sat by the light of a single candle, concocting an evil plan. The years had not been kind to Koume and Kotake's faces, but they were both powerful. They saw that although their King Ganondorf was strong, and had taken over Hyrule, this young man Link was trouble. Ganondorf didn't think so; after all, he had a piece of the Triforce, and he thought nothing could hurt him. Koume and Kotake knew differently. Link was getting stronger, and his mission was to destroy Ganondorf and restore Princess Zelda to the throne. With each Sage he awoke, he was undoing the King's plans. He had to be stopped.

"What if we just sent some monster to kill him? We could easily create one," said Kotake, who had something of a short attention span. The discussion had already bored her.

"Idiot! Haven't you seen the way he deals with the creatures in the Temples? He does it like it's nothing! We must think of something more elaborate and cunning." Koume thought hard for a few minutes, scratching her warty chin with shriveled fingers. "It seems like the root of his strength comes from wielding the sacred sword that pulls him through time…if we could just get rid of it somehow…."

"But Koume, we both know that the Master Sword is indestructible…and it cannot be touched by the hands of evil…only Hylian hands, in this case the Hero of Time." She spat on the floor in disgust.

Koume's eyes widened. "Kotake…you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"Don't you see? _Hylian_!"

"Uh... no. I don't…."

Koume rolled her eyes. "The Hero of Time can only be a pure-hearted Hylian, because they are the master race of this land. If we were to make Link _not Hylian_…then…" She waved her fingers at Kotake with an expectant look on her face.

Kotake laughed and clapped her green, withered hands. "Oh! I get it! I get it! He couldn't use the sword anymore so he couldn't be the Hero of Time and he would stop messing with the King's plans!"

"Way to go, genius, after I spelled it out to you," muttered Koume.

"I heard that!"

"Shut up, I just had another idea. What if we could also made Link a slave to us; you know, take control of his mind. Then we could present him to the King! Would that not be glorious; his greatest enemy changed into a mindless monster!"

"Yes…perfect!" The witch hugged herself in delight. "Ganondorf will praise us richly. He won't have to worry about that stupid kid running around breaking the curses on the Temples and awakening the Sages. And we can force him to give the sacred sword to Ganondorf, making him even more powerful."

"Yes!" cackled Koume in highest glee. "Come, let us prepare."

A few days later, Link lay resting in his house in Kokiri Forest. His fairy, Navi, fluttered nervously around the room glancing from time to time at her friend. He was looking worse since this morning, when he'd first gotten sick. He had been riding Epona, then stopped and put his hand to his head, saying he felt hot and that his head hurt. He had ridden home, to the forest, and had slept ever since. Now he turned over and moaned in his sleep. Navi glanced at him at him again, then flew out into the warm forest evening to get help.

Link felt like there was a fire burning under his skin. Ever since that morning, when the shooting pain first went through his forehead, all he had wanted to do was lie down. But there was no relief in that; his feverish body made every part of the bed feel like a furnace. Thick beads of sweat ran down his face, and his sun-blond hair stuck to his damp forehead. Suddenly he snapped out of his feverish sleep, sitting straight up and breathing hard. He could never remember being sick in his life, but that wasn't really what had suddenly scared him. There was something else under all the pain and nausea, something he had felt many times before but right now couldn't place a finger on.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, to get up and find Navi. But that was a mistake. The dull ache in his forehead was magnified tenfold; blossoming into searing flames that consumed his entire body. He dropped to his knees, clutched his head, and screamed in such agony that it echoed across Hyrule; so many people heard it- servants of Ganondorf, simple Hylian citizens; the Evil King himself heard it and wondered what it was about.

Link fell on his back, writhing in pain. He wanted to fight the pain or at least get up and run from it, but all he could do was lie there on the floor and scream. Why wasn't anyone coming to help him? What could be wrong…?

Then something strange began to happen. It was like his thoughts and memories; his very mind, in fact; were being sucked out of him. The pain was lessening slightly, but it was giving way to something worse, something he had felt when all of this had begun. He hadn't recognized it then, but he did now. It was what he felt every time he had entered one of the cursed temples: pure evil. And it was filling his body, invading his mind… there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He finally stopped screaming and laid still, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he blacked out, which, he reflected later, was a good thing. He wasn't able to see what was happening to him.

Navi flew into the house, followed by several Kokiri. She stopped, seeing Link standing by the bed, his back to them. "Are you feeling better, Link?" She gave a tiny shriek when she flew in front of his face, then flew back to the Kokiri standing in the doorway. "Get out of here!" she yelled shrilly. "That's not Link!" She turned back as they fled, giving one last look to the thing that used to be her partner.

Navi knew it really _was_ him because she had looked into his eyes, and they were the same deep sky blue she had always known. They were the only part of him that was still normal…. His hair was now long and black, his ears longer and more pointed than any normal Hylian, and he had two small fangs showing beneath his parted lips. Long silvery claws extended from each of his fingers, his skin had a gray hue, and even as Navi watched, his eyes took on a look of panic, then his pupils shrunk to their limit and finally disappeared, making his eyes into empty blue orbs.

"You have…to…get away…before…I…hurt you…" he whispered hoarsely. Then he raised his claws and gave a cold-blooded shriek, running out the door and jumping off the balcony with superhuman speed and strength, bounding towards the exit of the forest. He jumped into the tunnel, higher than Navi had ever seen anyone jump, and with the coordination of an animal.

Link couldn't feel or see anything; he just knew something was forcing him, pulling him towards… somewhere. If he tried to go a different direction than the one he was being drawn, the stabbing pain returned to his head, and he had to turn back to the direction of the pull.

Suddenly he broke away from what was holding him. He shook his head around and looked down into some water. He recognized it as the river flowing out of Zora's Domain. He gasped in horror at his reflection; long black hair flowed about his shoulders, his fangs were cutting his lower lip, and he put his gray skinned hands and their claws in front of his face. He looked back at his reflection, and the only thing he recognized were his blue eyes, open wide with fear and panic.

Link didn't know what was going on, but somehow he knew that someone was using him and maybe trying to get the Master Sword, the key to saving Hyrule. With what control he had left over himself, he ran towards Lon Lon Ranch, staggering up the trail. Malon was standing in the middle of the corral, singing peacefully as she did almost every night. Her beautiful voice seemed to float up and touch the darkening blue of the night sky.

For just a moment Link felt better; all pain left him as he heard her voice. His fingers strayed to his belt pouch where he carried his ocarina. He wanted to play along with her song. But it was not to be. Another sharp wave of pain, worse than all the rest, washed over him as he came towards her. He screamed in anguish, startling Malon. She turned around and gasped in terror when she saw him. She started to back away, preparing to run, at the same time casting her eyes about for a weapon; anything to defend herself with.

"Malon… no…it's me, Link…" He couldn't move anymore; he'd fallen against the fence, but he still tried to speak. "Please…help me…." He was breathing hard and slowly losing consciousness; the pain was driving everything away. "Something… something's happening to me… I can't… control it…." As he spoke, he lost himself more and more, and had no idea what he would do to her once he was gone completely.

Link put his hands back to where his sword sheath hung. When he touched the sacred Master Sword, blue light flared up from it and burned his hands. He gave a chilling shriek and grabbed it again, trying to ignore the wild burning of the sword. He flung it in her direction and jumped the fence, dashing along the stable roof and out of the ranch.

Malon took a few wavering steps forward, something catching her eye as she did so. It was Link's long green cap. It had fallen off when he jumped over the fence. She picked it up and ran its soft material through her fingers.

"Could that really have been Link?" she wondered. She'd seen the claws, the vampire-like teeth, gray skin, and long black hair… but she'd also seen his eyes. It _had_ to have been him. She stood there for a while, looking warily at the gleaming white sword on the ground. She had no idea what to do. All of a sudden, something smacked into her head. It was the little fairy that always following Link around. It was actually disturbing to see the fairy without him present.

"Hey, little guy. What are you doing here?" Malon held her hand out to the little fairy.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a pet or something!" she heard a tiny voice cry indignantly. "And I'm not a _guy_, I'm a girl," she sniffed. "You know me; I'm Navi. Something really bad has happened to my partner, Link. I can't catch up to him. Did he come this way?"

"Yes, he was just here…I think. Was it him? What's going on?

"What's his sword doing here?" asked Navi sharply, noticing it lying on the ground.

"I'm not sure. He just threw it at me." Malon stuck Link's hat in her apron pocket and picked up the sword, which was surprisingly light.

"And you can hold it? It doesn't burn you or anything?"

Malon thought this was a strange question. "Well, no…in fact, it's lighter than it looks. But it didseem to hurt _him _when he touched it."

The fairy fluttered back and forth, apparently deep in thought. "Since Link has been touched by a curse, perhaps the Master Sword wouldn't accept him as the Hero of Time anymore…it accepted another Hylian to take his place," she muttered.

"What?" yelled Malon. "The _Master Sword_! Hero of Time? Would you _please_ explain to me what is going on?"

Navi gave a brief overview of Link's adventures.

"Wow," Malon breathed. "And all this time I thought he was just a boy from the forest…."

"Well, now you have the responsibility of rescuing him."

"_What_? I can't rescue anybody; I'm just a common ranch girl. I'm not some kind of hero! What would my father say? He needs me! I-"

"Well, you really haven't got a choice," snapped Navi, cutting her off. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Master Sword _chose_ you. And it's not like you have to go destroy monsters in cursed temples, like Link has to do _every_ day, all you have to do is go on one lousy rescue mission. And don't tell me you haven't _longed _to get out of here and do something with your life! I know you do! But you're afraid to get out there and do anything new so you use the excuse that your father needs you and the ranch needs you. They'll survive! And if you don't rescue Link we're all doomed anyway; he's the only one who can take the curses off of the temples and destroy Ganondorf." After this breathless narrative, the little fairy turned away, took a deep breath, and seemed to sniffle. "Look, I'm sorry…. It's just…Link's my partner and…seeing him sick…then turning into what he did…you don't know what it's like!"

"No…I guess I don't," Malon answered quietly. Navi didn't see the look on her face; one that said just the opposite. A look that told what she'd felt when Link came into the corral….

Malon had always had a crush on Link, ever since she met him in Hyrule Castle Town. They had been children then, but he had come around a lot to visit her and Epona. Then, one day, he had stopped coming. Days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and the months into seven long years. Link had been pushed to the back of her mind while Ganondorf took over the lands, gave the ranch to Ingo, and allowed him to kick her father out. Ingo had just worked her hard at first, then, when she was about thirteen, he began smacking her around. He'd soon stopped when Malon showed him that she couldn't be broken by his abuse. But then he'd turned on her beloved horses…that had forced her to submit to his will.

Malon had nearly given up hope in the last part of the seven years. One day, a handsome young man wearing a green tunic had come to the ranch. Malon had been in such deep despair that she barely noticed him being there, much less recognized him. He defeated Ingo in a race, rescued Epona, and brought Talon back. Link helped everything go back to normal at the ranch. Now, she wished she could admit it to herself… she was in love with him.

She had, of course, always hoped that he would someday love her back. He came to visit the ranch a lot, helping with the horses and chatting with her, but that was just because he wanted to check up with her on Epona…wasn't it? There were small things, things that were barely noticeable… a stolen glance, soft brushes of hands, and touches to the arm that lasted a moment longer than necessary…. But then she would tell herself to stop being silly and letting her wishes and imagination run away with her.

Navi interrupted her thoughts. "Well, then I guess we're stuck together to save him, huh?"

Malon smiled weakly. "Yes. Let's get ready for the journey."

Far away, Link stood waiting at the edge of the desert. He had practically given up fighting whatever was inside his head…it hurt so badly…. It was almost like he was an outsider watching some monster named Link doing strange things. He suddenly saw two figures coming from the swirling sand. It was Koume and Kotake, riding their broomsticks.

One of them spoke, showing a hideous, toothy grin. "I didn't know he'd fight us so much. He has some strength inside him, all right. Now, give me the Master Sword." He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He had to hold out as long as possible; give Malon time to hide it….

"Don't try to fight us anymore, dear. You'll only make it worse," Kotake said. She pointed to his forehead, and white light exploded inside it. He fell on his knees, clutching his head in pain. "Say it, now," cackled the witches gleefully.

"I heed your orders, Mistresses," he said. The voice that came out of his mouth wasn't his.

"That's a good boy. Now, _give me the Master Sword_," said Koume insistently. Link stood there, motionless.

"That's strange," muttered Kotake. "He's not fighting us…" She flew around him in a circle, and shrieked in rage when she saw the empty scabbard hanging on his back. "Where is it?"

For a moment their control over Link faltered. He was able to stand slowly up and glare defiantly at them. "You may have me under a curse, but I hid the Master Sword. You'll never find it."

"That must have been what he did when he broke our power," Koume muttered to her sister. They both pointed at his forehead, white light flaring from their fingers. "You will be punished." He cried out in pain and fell back to the ground.

"Now we leave." The witches put their hands on his shoulders, and all three disappeared.

Back at the ranch, Malon had changed out of her everyday pink skirt, white shirt, yellow scarf, and boots that smelled of horses. She put on a light purple tunic that her mother used to wear, lighter purple hose, a long-sleeved cream blouse, and soft, tight, knee high boots. She put the belt she wore every day around the tunic, and to that she fastened her father's old sword sheath. "Sorry I don't have a better housing for this sacred sword. Goddesses forgive me," she muttered before putting the Master Sword into the old scabbard. Last of all, she tucked Link's cap into her knapsack, patting it fondly.

As Malon put together some food supplies, her father Talon came into the room. His eyes widened. "Malon, what're you doin'? Why're you wearin' yer mother's clothes? And my old sword sheath? Where in tarnation did you get a sword?"

Malon took a deep breath. "Dad, it's a long story. I don't have time to tell you now. Let it be enough to say that I'm going on an important and…" she hesitated, "…and possibly dangerous journey. I might…not…come back…I'm sorry that I can't explain, dad. But it's very important! Hyrule's fate might be in the balance… I'm still sorry I can't tell you." She kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, dad. Bye." She ducked out of the house before he could say anything else, hoping he would understand.

She mounted her favorite gelding, Eriol. He and Epona shared the same mother. She missed the mare that she had had from childhood. But she had given Epona to Link because he had tamed her anyway and saved the ranch…and she had already been feeling those nervous flutterings in her stomach when he came near. She'd wanted to give him a gift.

Eriol trotted happily out of the ranch, Malon on his back. It was a nice afternoon, sunny and breezy, but she couldn't enjoy it. The only time she had ever left the ranch was to go on picnics at Lake Hylia with her mother, and after she died, she sometimes would go with her father to Hyrule Castle Town to deliver milk. She had never been to the place Navi was talking about, Gerudo Valley, although she had heard many frightening stories about it. But none of that was really the problem…seeing Link the way he had been in such pain…and looking the way he had looked…. She tried to concentrate on Navi, who fluttered along beside her, talking and giving directions. The fairy was something of a chatterbox, never stopping for breath.

"So I think we should start looking in Gerudo Valley because that's where Ganondorf came from, and I have a strong feeling he's behind all of this. Turn right." Malon steered Eriol up a dirt path heading toward what looked like a canyon. "Now, you may know that this valley is populated entirely by female thieves. They may hassle you and they may not; I mean, they hate men, but not women. But on the other hand, they might view you as a trespasser. We'll just have to see. You certainly have things to rob, that's for sure. Hey! Are you even listening?"

"Sorry… I was just thinking, you know, how it's funny that I've always dreamed of a knight to come and sweep me off my feet. To save me from danger. I never thought _I_ would be saving _him_.

"Can I even do this, Navi?" she continued quietly. "It's like I said before, I'm not a hero or anything…how am I supposed to save him?" She was still thinking about Link. From what Navi had told her, it sounded like he could have anybody he wanted: princesses, Sages, female warriors…why should he bother with her? She was just a ranch girl; she couldn't fight or do anything special, and never felt especially pretty. Often she'd told herself not to fall for someone like Link…but it was too late.

Navi interrupted her daydreaming again. "Malon, let me tell you something Link said to me once. He said that he didn't feel like a hero either; he was just a normal person driven into abnormal situations. Then he said heroes are just normal people who do what's right."

"Oh…right."

They had now come to a huge ravine with a roaring river in the bottom. On each side were two tall posts. From these dangled the remains of a wooden rope bridge.

"Oh, and…uh, the Gerudos broke the bridge in half so no one could get in anymore…so…you'll have to jump it."

"What! What do you mean?" yelped Malon.

"What I said. Link's done it with Epona lots of times…and this is Epona's brother, right?" Navi spluttered in irritation, bobbing around Eriol.

Malon took a deep breath, backed the horse up, and spurred him violently in her fear. He shied a little, but then galloped full speed towards the great abyss. He soared up and over the canyon, and for one short moment Malon felt as if her soul was truly free, flying through empty air. Then they landed hard on the other side. Eriol buckled onto his knees, and Malon fell off, getting the wind knocked out of her.

"Are you all right?" asked Navi, concern in her tiny voice.

Malon sniffed. "Calm down, it's not like I've never fallen off a horse before," she said crossly, getting up to look at Eriol's front legs. His knees were red and swollen from the hard landing. "We'll have to leave Eriol here. His legs are in bad shape from that landing of ours. He may be Epona's brother," here she patted him fondly, "but he's not quite as special as she is."

They left Eriol at the carpenter boss's tent, who agreed to care for the gelding for a short time. Then they made their way over into the next canyon, where dwelt the Gerudo Thieves.

In one of the many secret rooms inside the Spirit Temple, Link was bound by magic to a flat stone, facing a large cobra shaped mirror in a beam of light. As soon as they were sure he couldn't get away, the witches completely relinquished their control over him so that he would see his hideous reflection with his conscious mind. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get loose or even turn his head, so he was forced to stare straight at the mirror. Even worse, the witches had twisted their magic so that every time he closed his eyes, a dull throb began at his temples and escalated into pain that shot through his entire body. When he opened them and looked at the mirror, the pain would immediately subside. He had to stare at the blood that ran down his chin from his fangs cutting his lower lip, and the red and blue Gerudo war paint the witches had drawn across his cheeks. His long black hair blended with the velvety black and red tunic they had put on him, and it contrasted with his light gray skin.

Link gritted his teeth angrily, hating the witches and their simple but effective tortures. He didn't know what would happen to him, but he hoped the Master Sword was safe…_why_ had he left it with Malon? She would likely go looking for him with it…that would be just like her. She was always too determined; even a bit tomboyish. But at the same time…like a gentle flower, swaying and singing in the moonlight breeze. He thought fondly of all the times he'd stood in Hyrule Field at night, listening to her beautiful song for hours under the stars.

Link did realize now that he loved her, probably since he'd first seen her after awakening from having his spirit sealed in time. He hadn't recognized the feeling then. He'd gone from boy to man seemingly in a short time; sleeping for seven years could do that to a person. But he had never told her…he'd never told her how precious she was to him, how the whole quest, everything he did, was for her. Link knew he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to Malon…. Maybe a little selfish, but he couldn't help it. He did care for Hyrule and all the people in it, but… he cared about Malon more. And he cursed himself for putting the responsibility of guarding the Master Sword on her shoulders; cursed his panicked instincts.

If the hags killed him, there wouldn't be a Hero of Time, and no one would ever defeat Ganondorf. Then a horrible thought struck him: they wouldn't have put him in this strong and agile body and put his mind under their control if they were planning to kill him. They wanted to use him to work for Ganondorf. The thought sickened and terrified him, and he tried desperately to free himself with his claws. All he succeeded in doing was to cut himself and tear long marks in the stone he was bound to.

Malon and Navi went slowly and carefully past the Gerudo's fortress. A set of stairs was cut into the cliff, leading up to the huge fortress. Guards patrolled everywhere except on the small road the red haired girl and tiny fairy walked upon. Malon thought they were through, until the cliff sloped down and joined the road. Ahead of them was a portcullis, and through the bars she could see the swirling desert sand. But she also saw the Elite guard standing on the right of the gate next to a ladder.

The Elites cropped their hair short, and didn't wear the short mouth veils like the regular guards. Their uniforms were similar to any Gerudo clothing, but were white rather than purple. They carried no visible weapons, but if the stories Malon had heard were true, they could kill you before you knew they were there.

So she and Navi crouched behind a rock, trying to figure out what to do next, but it was no use. The guard had seen them, and she blew a whistle, shouting, "Halt! Stay where you are!" Several purple uniformed guards armed with spears came running, surrounding her.

"What do you think you're doing here?" asked the Elite guard coolly, pacing slowly before Malon like a tiger. "Do you know what we do to trespassers around here?"

Malon decided to play the dumb one. "No. I'm sort of lost, you see. I've never really been out of my town. I didn't know I was trespassing."

The guard watched her suspiciously. "Orders from the exalted Nabooru are that we do not rob the innocent; those who cannot defend themselves. But you apparently can," she added, eying the sword hanging at Malon's belt.

"No, no, I really can't," babbled Malon in terror. "This sword isn't even mine; it's my friend's, something bad happened to him and I have to find him and give it back to him."

The guards muttered with each other for a moment. The Elite turned back to her. "This morning a cursed being passed our fortress. It resembled a man, but yet nothing like a man, and we could not capture it. It went into the desert. Could that be the one you seek?"

"Yes, I think so," whispered Malon.

"I see…but I doubt one like you could get through the desert. There are few of _us_ who can pass through. But since you are not a man, and little more than a child, we will let you through. Do not say we didn't warn you; our advice is to turn back and leave your cursed friend. But as I said, you may pass and attempt to reach the Spirit Temple. If you can, come back and tell us; you will be rewarded. May Din protect you in your quest." Every guard turned away and went back to their posts. One opened the portcullis to let Malon through. Before she passed, though, the Elite guard grabbed her arm.

"Give me that sword."

"Excuse me?"

"I just saved your neck back there. That's a good quality sword, even if it's a horrible looking sheath. Give it to me. Or…" she tightened her grip, "I won't let you through."

Malon's violet blue eyes quivered, then hardened. "No."

In turn, the Elite's eyes glittered threateningly. "Fine." She drew a scimitar seemingly from nowhere, waiting for the girl to give in.

Malon tried to turn and run the rest of the way into the desert, but the Elite slid in front of her, smiling menacingly. "I don't think so; you've made me angry, and now we're going to fight. Come." She brandished her sword inches from Malon's chest. She drew the Master Sword rather clumsily from its old sheath, holding it with both hands.

The Gerudo laughed. "Well, if that's the best you can do you, just give me the sword now and I won't hurt you."

Malon waited for the sword to grow lighter, and it did. She was able to hold it with one hand and go into a graceful fighting stance, though she had never done anything like this before. It was very odd, almost as if someone else was inside her body, doing everything for her. This made the Gerudo even angrier, and she charged. Malon tried to dodge, and was nicked across the left shoulder instead of fatally stabbed. She clutched the wound, trying to staunch the surprising amount of blood that poured out. Then she suddenly swung at the Gerudo, and missed by a mile.

"Just because you have a good sword doesn't mean you can use it, apparently," taunted the Elite, watching Malon struggle to hit her. She avoided the strikes as gracefully as a dancer, allowing Malon to drive her further up the road. The Gerudo was waiting for her to get tired, then she would finish her off.

What she didn't know that this was what Malon wanted.

"I have to land just one hit. _Just one_!" she thought desperately. Then she got another idea. She fell onto one knee, holding the sword as support.

"Ah. You're finished now." The Gerudo raised her sword and prepared to bring it down on her, but Malon suddenly knocked the Elite's legs out from under her with the flat of the Master Sword.

She ran from the stunned Gerudo, toward the gate with all her strength. Her sword sheath banged painfully against her legs, and they began to lower the portcullis so she couldn't get through. She ran harder, her breath burning in her chest. She heard guards chasing her, and nearly at the last second she slid under the closing portcullis.

Malon didn't stop running. She ran straight into the desert, where there were eternal sandstorms. Whirling sand stung her bleeding shoulder and her eyes. "Navi!" she shouted, getting sand in her mouth, "where are you?"

"I'm right here," said a voice in her ear.

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know…"

As Malon and Navi struggled to find a way through the desert, Link still struggled to get free. Koume and Kotake appeared in his little prison.

"Good afternoon," they both cackled delightedly. They had seen the claw marks on the stone where he had been trying to get free. "It won't do you any good to waste all your energy trying to escape. We have a task for you."

"Whatever it is, I won't do it," he spat. "Why are you doing this to me? Let me go!"

"But that won't do, servant," leered Kotake. "You must do as we say. We must make sure you work well before we present you to the great Ganondorf."

"I'll fight you," he yelled. "I'll fight you every minute you try to control me!"

Koume sighed as if berating a naughty child. "Now, now, that simply won't do. You certainly impressed us by being able to resist our control even for short periods. But…" she looked at her sister, smirking, "we've found a way around that little annoyance… only a slightly different means of persuasion. It may work quite nicely on you."

"I'll fight whatever you try to do to me. There's no way you can make me hurt anyone," Link answered defiantly.

"Oh, but I think you will," cackled Kotake, "when we show you this!" They each waved a hand, and Malon appeared in front of him, lying on the floor with blood soaking her shoulder and arm. Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw a blue light flitting away. Navi. He wasn't concerned with his fairy; she could handle herself. Instead, he turned his attention to the girl lying facedown on the ground; agonizing fear growing in his mind.

"Malon! What did you do to her?" he yelled, thrashing desperately against his bonds. "If you've hurt her-"

"Ooh, have we touched a weak spot?" sneered Koume, obviously amused by his sudden surge of emotions. "We seem to have gotten lucky… you know this girl and your feelings for her are obviously strong. This works out nicely, doesn't it, Kotake? We thought even a regular Hylian would do; I mean, you're all for the righteous chivalry thing… swearing to protect the people and all that garbage. But this works _so _much better… even _more_ amusing, isn't it?"

"There's no reason to be angry at us anyway," added Kotake. "We weren't the ones who hurt her; we actually saved her. She was about to die in the desert, maybe even coming to find you. So perhaps you should be _thanking_ us."

"Stop it! Leave Malon out of this!" Link shouted angrily. "Your fight is with me; she has nothing to do with it. Just let her go!"

"But where's the fun in that?" laughed Kotake. "Just do as we say or else…" A loud rumble was heard on the other side of one wall, and suddenly a huge axe crashed through, followed by what looked like a huge, strange golden suit of armor. It stood over Malon's still form, axe poised.

"It's called an iron knuckle," said Koume, patting it lovingly. "Its axe can do quite a bit of damage, you know."

Link grimaced, shut his eyes, then dropped his head. "I won't fight you anymore," he whispered brokenly. "Just don't hurt her."

"That's a good boy." Both witches pointed at him, and he fell from the stone as his bonds disappeared. He rushed to Malon and turned her over gently. She was covered with sand, but alive. Link carefully touched her face, his gray hands sharply contrasting with her pale skin. He was rather glad she wasn't awake to see him the way he was now; once was enough. At any rate, she seemed to be all right, except for the wound on her shoulder. Her eyes suddenly flickered open.

"Link…?" She closed her eyes again and grasped his sleeve.

He bent his head over her so the witches wouldn't see the hot tears that spilled out. _"Why, Malon? Why did you come here?"_ he screamed in his head. He clenched his teeth and laid her carefully back on the ground, standing before the hags with his head bowed in defeat.

"I swear to do whatever you tell me to, as long as Malon isn't hurt."

Koume and Kotake laughed delightedly, and pointed at Link. The scorching lances of pain went through his forehead, but he refused to scream this time. All his thoughts and memories were being slowly taken from him again. His mind was blank, and his only purpose was to serve his mistresses. That was what he was allowed to do, that was what he wanted to do, and nothing else was important. Or…was there? A picture was forming in his disappearing mind… was _this_ something important?

It was a beautiful red haired girl standing by the entrance to a corral. She was happy to see someone. A handsome young man with blond hair rode up on a rust colored mare, and got off to stand beside the girl. They talked for a few moments, and then the boy played an ocarina. The girl…who was she…laughed and clapped her hands. What was all this?

It all seemed to melt away, and he was there again to serve his mistresses. The picture wasn't important; they were giving him a command; he _must_ carry it out at all costs. That was his purpose. He was to go to Kakariko Village and destroy it. He heard himself replying in a strange, evil-sounding voice.

"I heed your orders, my mistresses. I shall obey." With that he leapt through the hole created by the iron knuckle and out of sight. He felt blood rushing through him, adrenaline going at top speed. He would do as they commanded. They would be pleased with him. And yet…there seemed to be something more…something he was forgetting…but no matter. He must make speed to the village.

A few moments later, Malon woke to find herself covered with sand. Her shoulder was stinging, and Navi was nowhere in sight. The direction she was looking in held a tall, flat stone block, standing upright. She stared at the claw marks going across it; Link had been there not too long ago. She turned over, and gasped in terror. A huge golden axe hung over her, held by a golden armored creature.

"Don't worry, I don't think it will hurt you," said a little voice in her ear. She turned to see Navi hovering by her shoulder. "It hasn't moved at all."

"What's going on, Navi?" she asked, sitting up and gingerly touching her shoulder. "Where's Link? I think I saw him…and then I passed out again. I don't remember…."

"Well," sighed the fairy, "we were trying to get through the desert. You nearly died. We did find a stone outpost in the middle, and it went underground with a ladder. We heard the witches, and you luckily had the presence of mind to hide the Master Sword in a pile of sand. You fainted before they brought us here…and then… and then Link…."

"What? What did Link do? _Tell_ me, Navi."

"The witches… said they would hurt you if he didn't do what they told him to do. He's not trying to fight them anymore…they're making him destroy Kakariko Village, apparently as a test. They want to see if he can fight well with this curse in him before they give him over to Ganondorf."

"Why?" Malon whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Navi, I don't understand!"

"Link is Ganondorf's worst enemy," Navi answered in a dull voice. "He's the only one who can defeat the Evil King…so they put that curse on him and have him under mind control. He was fighting them…but he promised to stop so they wouldn't hurt you."

Malon cursed under her breath. Then she got up and walked stiffly around the tiny room, keeping her distance from the iron knuckle. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Wait, I suppose. Wait until something happens."

It was hard to believe that only one person could wreak so much chaos on a village. Then again, Link wasn't a normal person anymore. He leaped from rooftop to rooftop, shredding them like tinfoil with his long claws. He dropped into one house, grabbed a burning stick from the fireplace, and set a bed on fire. He shrieked his animal-like cry and leaped ten feet up out the hole in the roof, then grabbed a passing fan on the windmill. He set it on fire, jumped down, and threw the torch onto another roof. Men armed with pitchforks, sticks, and a few with swords ran at him. He bit the first one, swung himself around, raking claw marks on everyone's faces, and then grabbed someone's sword.

Link ran among the screaming people, shredding nearly everything in his wake. Koume and Kotake watched all the chaos from above on their broomsticks. Ganondorf would be most pleased with this new servant. But they hadn't forgotten all the trouble he'd caused them in the past, so to torment him, they released his mind for a moment to let him see what he had done.

He blinked his eyes, not exactly knowing where he was. As he looked around, at the burning buildings, the wounded people lying about, and the panicky crowd running away, he put his hands in front of his face, staring at his claws.

"No…_I_ did this," he whispered in horror. "These are the people I'm trying to protect…." He dropped to his knees as Koume and Kotake hovered over him, cackling. He refused to look up as they touched his shoulders and disappeared from sight.

"I wish there was some water around here. I feel so disgusting covered with all this sand," said Malon, trying to make conversation. For hours she and Navi had been pacing around the dim little chamber, always staying clear of the iron knuckle, discussing in worried tones where Link might be and what else the witches might be forcing him to do. Malon sat down and tucked her knees up to her chin, pulling Link's cap out of her knapsack and running it through her fingers.

Malon looked at her reflection in the cobra mirror. "I look awful, don't I, Navi?" she asked pensively, still trying to change the subject.

"You don't look as nice as you usually do," the fairy agreed politely. It was an understatement; her tunic was torn, her hair was covered with sand, as was the rest of her, and her shoulder and arm were caked with dried blood. "I wish we could do something about that cut. It doesn't look too good."

Malon touched it gingerly and grimaced. "It doesn't _feel_ too good." Suddenly she stood up. "Navi, I'm not going to just sit here and wait. I'm not some damsel in distress! I can get out of here, I'm sure I can. Come on." Navi followed her doubtfully over to the hole where the iron knuckle stood. Before Malon put a foot outside the cell, they heard sinister laughter coming from behind the iron next room. Both girl and fairy knew who it was.

Navi immediately hid while Malon made herself as scarce as possible in a corner, shivering with fright. She had heard that evil laugh before, six years ago when Ganondorf had been in the process of taking over the lands. He had personally come to the ranch and given it to Ingo. She had hidden in the house, watching from a crack in the window. He had looked up at her with his evil eyes, and she had cried for hours afterwards.

Now she heard him talking to someone, presumably the witches. She got up her courage and went near the iron knuckle, peering around it and into the hole. There was a large brick room with columns and a red carpet down the middle of it, and at the end was a chair where sat the Evil King himself. It was all Malon could do to keep from screaming and hiding again, but she forced herself to stay and see what was going on. Koume and Kotake stood on either side of the chair, both of them grinning widely. Link knelt on one knee before them, still obviously under their control. Ganondorf spoke again, and Malon cringed.

"So this is the kid who has given me so much trouble. The great Link, reduced to bowing before the one he swore to destroy. Me." He laughed again. "Koume, Kotake, you have done well. I am certainly impressed. You will be greatly rewarded in the near future. His new looks are an improvement." Here all three of them laughed, and in her anger, Malon found herself clutching the stone until her knuckles were white. "Now, let us have some fun with our new slave. You said you had a girl here, didn't you?"

"Yes," cackled Kotake happily. "He apparently _cares_ for her." She said the word like it was some kind of vulgarity. "We threatened to hurt her if he wouldn't submit to us. A superb tool of persuasion, I must say.

"Excellent. Bring her here."

"Servant, come here!" said Kotake, almost boredly. The iron knuckle immediately moved and walked with slow, clanking steps toward the chair, where it stood still. Ganondorf looked at it with mild interest.

"You used different methods on her, didn't you? Brainwashing, wasn't it?"

"Yes. But she doesn't really matter much anymore, does she?" answered the witches.

"I suppose not."

Malon wondered what they were talking about, but she immediately forgot about it when Ganondorf suddenly looked straight at her. His eyes cut through her like a knife. Somehow, though, instead of cringing, she stared defiantly back at him.

"Come here, girl," he said coldly. She stood slowly, never taking her eyes off of him. As she walked toward the chair, she realized that somehow, she wasn't afraid now, only calm. As she walked past Link, who was still kneeling, her fingers brushed his shoulder. She heard his sharp intake of breath and saw his claws dig slightly into the carpet. If she could have seen his face, she would have seen his pupils focus in and out, and take on a confused look, as if he were trying hard to remember something….

Malon stood before the throne of the Evil King, looking calmly into his cold, wicked eyes. Inside she was ready to fall apart, but she didn't let it show.

"You're that ranch girl, aren't you?" he asked after a moment.

"I am."

"You came here to try to rescue him." He stood up and stroked her chin, his face close to hers. "You're too late," he whispered silkily. "I have _complete_ control over him; he doesn't remember anything from his old life. The only thing he knows now is his name, his purpose: to be my slave."

She clenched her hands into fists. "His name is Link," she said evenly, and, remembering her brush against his shoulder, she added "and you're wrong."

"Silly girl. Don't you see yet? He no longer has emotions or power of thought! I am his master, and his only purpose is to serve me. Just watch… we will have some sport with the two of you." He laughed again and pointed at Link, sitting back in his chair. "Kill her…and make sure it's painful."

Immediately, he sprang at Malon, his face completely devoid of feeling. She screamed and tried to duck, but he caught her collarbone with his claws.

"Link, stop! It's me, Malon!" she yelled. Beads of blood welled out from the slice marks across her neck, then flowed down in thin red lines. Link stopped in mid-attack. His face contorted, and the empty blue orbs that were his eyes almost looked confused. Ganondorf frowned and leaned forward a bit.

"Obey me now! Destroy her!"

"I…I heed your orders… master. Destroy her." Link slowly walked toward Malon, flexing his fingers. She heard Navi speaking in her ear.

"I think you're getting through to him! Keep trying!"

"Look at his claws! I can't get close to him!"

"Just keep talking to him!"

Malon gave a strangled scream as claws suddenly dug deep into her side. She fell on the floor, blood flowing thickly from the wound. Link stared at her, a bit of sprayed blood dripping from his black hair. He knelt by her, and for a moment she thought he was going to help her, but he bit her right shoulder with his sharp teeth, at the same time digging his claws into her leg. She twisted out from under him, tears and sand streaking her face.

Malon really looked horrible now; covered with sand, rips all over her tunic, and bleeding everywhere. "Link, snap out of it! Don't you remember me? I'm Malon!"

Link again lowered his claws and stood still, staring at her with his mouth slightly open. She limped slowly toward him and put her hands on his shoulders. She tried to reach into the vacant blue orbs that were his eyes; tried to find his soul. "Link, come back… this isn't you." She ran her fingers over the red and blue marks painted on his gray cheeks. "I know you can hear me!"

Ganondorf and the witches had been watching in great amusement up to this point. Koume leaned towards him and whispered frantically, "My king, she seems to be reaching him. Look."

Indeed, Link was staring into Malon's violet blue eyes, his mouth quivering slightly. His own eyes were focusing in and out; losing their opaqueness and slowly becoming their natural clear blue. He _was_ coming back. "Malon…?"

Ganondorf immediately stood and pointed at Link. White fire exploded in his head, and he fell backwards, disappearing into thin air before he hit the ground.

"No!" Malon cried, falling to her knees. She touched the floor where he had stood just seconds before. "What did you do with him?" Before anyone answered, she passed out on the floor.

"Poor duck," said Koume sarcastically. "She's lost a lot of blood…shall we let her die?"

"No…" answered Ganondorf thoughtfully. "She may be of use to us later. You," he pointed to the iron knuckle, "take the girl to one of the dungeon cells."

The iron knuckle leaned its axe on the wall and picked up her limp form, clanking off into the shadows. It went down several corridors and flights of stairs in the silent temple, carrying Malon's body quite carefully. It opened a door, put her softly on the ground, and locked the door as it went out. Something in the shadows of the room stirred and came forward. It was Link. His face held a confused, blank expression, like a lost child, and although his eyes were still empty, they were no longer opaque and lifeless.

He tore strips from the bottom of his tunic and washed and bound her wounds, then laid her head on his lap. He also took some Lon Lon milk from her store of items and poured a little into her open mouth. It quivered on her lips, then trickled down her cheek. He patiently poured a few more drops in, and this time she swallowed it. He did this several times until satisfied that her wounds were looking better. Malon woke some hours later. She gasped, and then held still when she saw Link's face above her. She sat up quickly, but winced when her side throbbed angrily.

"Don't move too much. You're still hurt," he said quietly. It was so strange; his terrifying face was nothing like his now quiet and gentle, almost broken demeanor.

"Link, I'm so glad you're all right!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. He stood up and backed away from her quickly.

"You shouldn't touch me. I might hurt you. I hurt people…."

"What are you talking about? I know you would never hurt anyone on purpose. That's not who you are…I know you. I know you're still in there, Link. You proved it by helping me while I was asleep. And you know what, I might never get another chance to say this… I love you."

Link stared at her. He'd stopped backing up; it was as if he was frozen in place. His eyes blinked rapidly, as if he had something stuck in them. "What?"

She kept walking towards him. "I love you. I don't care what you look like; I don't care what you've done. None of it was your fault. I _know_ you can hear me wherever your real mind is. I'll be here when you come out of it." She reached him and wiped the Gerudo war paint off of his face with her thumb. He did not react, simply stared at her, and she drew back a little, afraid that he could never be reached again. An inspiration came to her… she began humming Epona's Song with her clear voice, remembering how much he'd always loved it. Maybe, maybe it could bring him back.

He gazed at her with his mouth slightly open, completely blank. Suddenly he retched and fell to his knees, clutching at his eyes as if they hurt. When he looked at her again, she could immediately tell that he was back to himself; his eyes were vibrantly clear, but he looked like he was frightened and in incredible pain; his memory still seemed blurred.

"I know that song… but… who are you?" He fell on the floor and curled up into a fetal position, trembling violently. His eyes closed tightly and his fists clenched, his claws drawing blood from his palms. Navi fluttered in the room.

"Finally I found you! Are you okay?" She suddenly saw Link lying on the floor, gasping for breath. "What happened to him? What's going on?"

She stared at him in horror. "I don't know…I came in here and he was all right…but they did something to his memory. I was…um…I said something to him, and then…this." She gestured helplessly at him. He seemed to be getting worse; sweat was rolling down his face, his breath catching in his chest. "What's wrong with him?"

Malon knelt by Link's shivering form, listening to him struggle for breath, wishing there was something she could do. All of a sudden, his gray skin seemed to melt off, showing his normal healthy color underneath. His fangs shrank into his mouth, and his ears shriveled back to their original length. As Malon watched, wide-eyed and open mouthed, his hair changed from raven black to golden, and went shorter. His claws retracted into his fingers, and he began to breathe normally.

"He's back to normal!" With this observation, Navi seemed to burst into tears. "You did it, Malon!" The little pixie nuzzled against Link's shoulder, trying to wake him, but he stayed as he was, seemingly asleep.

"Link, please wake up…please…" Malon shook his shoulder, then laid her head on the soft steel that was his chest, listening for his heartbeat. He seemed all right, but wouldn't stir. She closed her eyes and put her arms around his neck, and began crying; softly at first, then the fear, pain, and stress of all that had happened set in, and she erupted into deep sobs. What if he was dying, after all they'd been through?

Malon was crying so hard that she didn't feel the warm body beneath her shifting. She flinched when a hand cupped her cheek. Link's voice reached her ears.

"Don't cry, everything's going to be okay."

She didn't stop for a moment, hardly able to believe he was all right. She was aware of him sitting up, then felt his strong but gentle fingers brushing the tears off her face.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine…now, thanks to you."

Malon sat up with him, but felt a horrible stab of pain in her side. The cuts across her chest stung, too. "Oh…that hurts…" she mumbled, touching the makeshift bandage with one hand and tracing the cuts with the other.

"I did all that to you…Malon, I'm… I'm sorry."

She tried to smile, but only managed a sort of grimace. "It's okay…I'll be fine. It wasn't your fault, anyway. You didn't know what you were doing."

He looked up at the ceiling and bit his lower lip. "I know. It was so awful… I remember but I don't remember. It was almost like you woke me up…. Thank you." All of a sudden he put his arms around her and held her close. Malon's eyes widened, and her heart beat faster and faster as his hold on her grew tighter. She felt so safe…. "Thank you," he whispered again, then after another moment he let her go with a serious look on his face.

"But Malon, _why_ did you come here? You could have been killed!"

"Hey, come on, I _saved_ you!" she said playfully, not minding his concern, almost liking it.

"But I never want anything to happen to you," he said seriously, putting his hand over hers. She looked up at him in surprise, but didn't move away as he slid his hand up her arm and along her neck until he held it, gently pulling her head towards him. But before their lips met, the door slammed open and there stood Koume and Kotake. They looked lividly angry.

"You stupid, stupid girl!" Kotake wailed. "How _dare _you break our curse? Ganondorf will _kill_ us when he gets back! Our prized servant!"

"We'll have to punish the iron knuckle later. She should have put them in separate cells," Koume muttered under her breath.

"You will pay for what you have done!" snarled Kotake. Both witches raised their hands. From one came fire, and the other ice. "Take this as a reward for your insolence!"

Malon saw the shafts of fire and ice coming at her. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. She heard herself screaming, and threw her arms in front of her face. She heard the hags cackling, and closed her eyes, waiting for the fire to rip the very soul from her body; waiting for the ice to freeze it into eternal rest. She waited…and waited… she opened her eyes. Link crouched in front of her, his shield up. He was struggling to hold the spells away from her, but they were slowly driving him back….

"I won't let you hurt her!" he shouted, standing up and pushing on his shield. The hags scowled and increased the force of their spells. There was a struggle of wills within the tiny stone room; Malon could feel the tension in the air, ready to break. Finally, the shield shattered into hundreds of flying metal shards, and Link was thrown back, exhausted and knocked unconscious by the strain of two against one.

Malon was terrified out of her wits. Now who was going to protect her? Then she suddenly remembered what Navi had said to her when this whole thing started: "heroes are just normal people thrown into abnormal situations; they do what's right."

She gritted her teeth and stood in front of his motionless form, not exactly sure what she was going to do. Koume and Kotake could see this.

"What do you think you're going to do, you stupid girl? Just because you broke our spell you think you can protect him now? Stand aside, and we may let you live."

"No. Get away from us."

"Child, you are getting tiresome. We _can_ kill you to get him."

"Kill me, then," Malon said aloud, but her mind was racing. "_What can I do? Oh, Goddesses, if I only had a weapon…"_ Suddenly there was a burst of blue and white light filling the cell. The witches shrieked and covered their eyes. Only Malon was able to keep her eyes open; she was shocked to see the Master Sword suddenly held in her hands. She uncertainly brandished it toward the hags. They jumped back in shock.

"How did she get that?" shrieked Kotake, hiding behind her sister.

"Get off me! How should I know? She doesn't know how to use it! Just get the boy and maybe we can fix things."

"Don't come near us!" yelled Malon, holding the sword in both hands. "I _do_ know how to use this!" Navi fluttered over beside her ear.

"You do?"

"Sort of," she muttered.

Koume suddenly lunged. Malon swung the sword in a wide arc in front of her, hitting the hag in the stomach. "Get away! You're not going to take him again!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to do a bit more than that to defeat us." Koume raised a hand, pouring a layer of ice around Malon's feet. "Just give it up. We know you don't know how to fight."

She frantically stabbed the ice around her feet with the tip of the sword, trying to free herself before the witches got to her. All the while she was thinking wildly, "_She's right, what am I doing…I'm going to get myself __and__ Link killed…"_ She poised herself, ready to fight to the death; knowing they were doomed. Suddenly there was a loud rumble on the other side of the wall. She thought she had heard it somewhere before…

The iron knuckle crashed through the wall with its huge axe. Malon screamed, thinking she and Link were completely doomed…but it wasn't going for her. It stood in front of her and Link's unconscious body, turned around, and gave her what was an unmistakable gesture for, "get out."

Malon had no time to wonder at this strange happening. The hags were shrieking in rage, trying to get by. She quickly sheathed the sword, turned around, and tried to lift Link up, but he was too heavy. She shook him frantically. "Link, wake up! We don't have much time! Come on, Link, get up!" Navi came over and started banging herself on his face.

"Come _on_, Link! You lazy bum, get up! They're going to get through and get us! Malon doesn't know how to protect us!" She threw herself all the harder at him and began yelling dirty curses in the fairy-language. Her tiny, shrill voice filled the room, and finally Link's eyes flickered open.

"Stop cursing, Navi," he mumbled. "I'm up." He had to lean on Malon's shoulder to get up, and when he tried to walk, he gasped, clutched his side, and fell back down. Flying shards from his broken shield had torn a deep gash through his flesh. "Great. Just great," he muttered. They limped slowly along, climbing stairs, going along passageways, and nearly getting lost. After what seemed like hours, they came to a huge chamber with several Armos in the middle. The light of day shone through a huge doorway to their left.

Link's strength was faltering. He could barely stand even with Malon's help, and she was getting weak too. "Hey! You can do it; it's only a little further," yelled Navi, trying to encourage them. They struggled out into the blinding desert sun, and while they were going down yet another flight of stairs, Link tripped and fell, dragging Malon down with him. Neither of them got up.

All this time, Link had been cursing himself for being so weak. Malon had broken the curse, but he couldn't even protect her from the witches. She had had to fight to protect him. _"It should have been the other way around," _he thought, gritting his teeth while trying and failing to stand up. _"I'm the Hero of Time, for Goddess' sake. And now I can't help either of us. We'll both have to die here in the desert." _Hot, angry tears pricked his eyes at his inability to do anything. Malon was stirring next to him, trying to pull him up. She fell back down, weeping quietly. Then her grip on his arm tightened, and he could hear the fear in her voice.

"Link…what are those?" She pointed to the wicked little birds flying at them, along with several small green cactus-like creatures moving through the sand.

Link knew he had to act fast. He stood up, grimacing in pain, while every time he moved, a small spurt of blood gushed from his side. His leg had twisted when he had fallen in the dungeon, making it hard to stand, but he ran towards all the enemies, getting as far away from Malon as he could. He didn't want her hurt.

"Din! Lend me your strength!" he yelled, throwing the spell-crystal filled with Din's Fire to the ground. It exploded in a cage of fire that went out and consumed the creatures coming at him. He dropped to the ground, feeling absolutely drained, but then he remembered Malon. Using the last of his strength, he crawled back over to her. He felt rather sick, wondering light-headedly why the side of his tunic was covered with blood.

"Hold my arm, Malon. We have to get out of here."

"How?" Her frightened, tear stained face made Link curse himself again for not being able to do more for her.

He tried to think of a safe place to return to. Not the Temple of Time; it was too close to Ganondorf and they wouldn't be able to get out of town because of the ReDead. It was too dangerous to go to the forest; Malon didn't have a blessing to be there and she could die or worse, become a Stalfos. Lake Hylia was too far away from anyone who could help them…but they _could _warp to the Kakariko Graveyard! It was right next to the village, filled with people who could help them.

Link gently pulled Malon into a sitting position, feeling his strength ebb away with every move he made, but he didn't care, as long as he could keep her safe…. "It's okay. I'm going to get us out of here. Keep your hand on my arm." He put the Ocarina of Time to his lips and played a dark and noble song. The Nocturne of Shadow took them away in a flash of magenta light.

Malon opened her eyes. She was standing in front of Link, clutching the front of his tunic with both hands. She remembered hazily: after he had shouted those strange words and that wild blaze of fire surrounded him, he had played that song on his ocarina. They had both disappeared, and she had closed her eyes in terror; they were flying over the lands at a speed that took her breath away. Then they had materialized here, in a graveyard. She recognized it as the one in Kakariko Village. Behind them, cut into the wall, was a stairway that led downward. Malon had never been so afraid as when she looked back into that dark place. She turned her attention to Link, who hadn't moved since they'd gotten here.

"Link…how did we do that? What's going on?" He didn't answer, and she looked at his face. His once-beautiful azure eyes were empty as death, and all color had fled from his face. A rough sigh escaped him as he fell forward. Malon had to catch him, stumbling beneath his weight. "What's wrong with him, Navi?" she gasped.

"Link knows several songs that magically take you to a certain place. He used up his last strength to play it. Add that to the fact that he's about to bleed to death! We have to find help, now!"

Malon suddenly became aware of something wet all over the front of her tunic. It was Link's blood; the gash in his side was still sluggishly pouring blood. "Oh, Goddesses…" she whispered. "He's going to die." She began screaming idiotically, for someone to come and help them. She didn't know what else to do. Luckily, an old man had come to see his wife's grave, and he saw her sitting up on the ledge behind the tall fence, Link's head cradled on her lap. He could see all the blood, so he quickly went back into the village. Malon saw help arriving, and as men climbed over the fence, she fell back and into the warm, comforting embrace of unconsciousness.

Later, she woke and heard low voices. "…and he's lost so much blood, I don't know if there's anything else we can do for him."

"And the girl?"

"She's exhausted and in shock, but she'll be fine. Her wounds weren't as bad as his. _My_, but can she scream! I heard it all the way from the village. But if she hadn't, they _both_ might've been dead when someone finally found them. All we can do now is wait and see what happens."

Malon tried to lift her head, to see what was going on, but it felt like it was made of iron. She couldn't move it. She was able to turn a little and see Link in a bed next to hers, his eyes closed. The top of his tunic had been cut off, and his bare chest was nearly hidden under so many bloodstained bandages. She moaned in stiff pain and tried to sit up again. A kind but strong female voice soothed her, and she felt a hand on her back.

"Now, dear, just relax. Don't worry about anything. Just drink this for me, darling, and you'll feel better." A cup of cool liquid was put to her lips, and she swallowed it obligingly.

"Will Link be all right?" she mumbled. She didn't hear the woman's answer; she had already fallen back down onto her pillow, back down into sleep. She had wild, feverish dreams of Gerudos, voices in her head, whirling colors and sand, hundreds of witches pouring fire and ice over her, and she finally found herself standing in a pool of Link's blood. He sat a few feet away, staring accusingly at her. He was still covered with all the wounds he had received in the desert.

"How could you let this happen to me?" he asked reproachfully.

"I didn't want it to happen, I tried to help you-" she began.

"Shut up! You said you loved me!" He suddenly turned back into his cursed form and leapt at her, claws reaching for her throat. He landed on top of her and held her tight, snarling. Malon screamed and tried to beat him off, thrashing and twisting, but he held on, not letting her move. After a few minutes, she could hear through his snarls; he was speaking to her….

"Malon…wake up. Stop, stop screaming, I'm here." His voice suddenly changed…to her father's. Her eyes suddenly flew open, and found that her father was holding her tightly. She looked around, and found that she was in her bedroom at the ranch.

"Dad…?" she mumbled. "I was dreaming…."

"Ye've been sleepin' fer three days," said Talon worriedly. "I'se afraid you wouldn't come out of it. They brought you here from Kakariko; I'm glad they did, too. We don't know if that-" he shuddered, "_monster_'ll come back. It near' destroyed the village last time. I don't want you there. Malon, I'm glad ye'r safe, lil' girl."

"Dad! Where's Link?"

He looked puzzled. "Link? Oh, y'mean that kid who used to come 'round here? Why're you thinkin' about him at a time like this?"

Malon got out of bed. "Dad, I have to go, now! I have to go back to him!"

"Now, darlin', don't be gettin' up, you're not in any condition to be-"

"You don't understand!" she yelled, stumbling down the stairs and out the door. She wasn't even wearing shoes, and was dressed in nothing but a white cotton nightdress. She gave a piercing whistle to call Halia, one of the golden mares. Malon climbed weakly onto the horse's bare back, grasping her mane and digging her heels into the mare's sides. She barely had the strength to ride, but she was determined to get to Link even if it killed her.

They galloped into the village, where people were just starting to rebuild and recover. Which house had they been in…? Halia stopped in front of the first house they came to, and Malon slid off into a heap on the ground. She shrugged off the people who came to help her, stubbornly pushing her way into the door of the house.

Link still lay on the bed, eyes and lips half parted. For a moment, Malon couldn't make herself go closer to him; his unbelievable paleness and stillness frightened her. He always looked so strong and confident; and now here he was, lying there looking for all the world like he was dead.

"I won't let them take me away again," she whispered. "This happened to you because of me, and I'm going to stay by your side."

For several hours, Malon sat by his bedside. Once, she changed his bandages, closing her eyes as if she could feel his pain while she rinsed the ugly, infected wound in cool water. She felt like she would have thrown up if it was anyone else, but not him. She waited for Link to wake, but he slept on and on, breathing shallowly. Towards evening Malon fell asleep in her chair, then woke up when a log in the fire burned out and fell.

She woke up fully and made herself some tea. As she filled her mug, she glanced at Link. He was so handsome, even as he slept. She could remember other sleepless nights similar to this one, wondering where he was and what he was doing, but it was worse now. He was here, but she was sitting around watching him hover over death's door and she'd never told him properly of the feelings she had for him. He'd been about to kiss her, in the dungeon… but how could she know for sure? Did he love her the way she loved him?

Nara, the woman who owned the house, came in. She was so kind; caring for all the wounded people. And following her was the old woman from the potion shop, who was lugging her tiger cat with her. They were discussing something in grave tones, stopping when they saw Malon.

"What's wrong?" she asked instantly.

"Nothing to worry about, dear," answered Nara quickly, with a false brightness to her voice.

"Don't lie to the girl," said the old woman grumpily. "She may as well know." She set her tiger cat on the table. "He should have been better by now. He seems to sleeping it off; they were only flesh wounds, and we've removed all the metal shards in his side and got the bleeding mostly under control. There shouldn't be anything wrong, but it doesn't take that long to sleep off a wound, and for some reason he's developing a fever. We don't know what's wrong; there's nothing we can do. It's probably because he lost so much blood in the first place. But we must go tend to the ones in Impa's house. They're the ones that the monster injured the worst. Goodbye, child. Take heart… when he dies, his passing will be quiet and painless… I'm sorry." With that she and Nara shuffled out of the house.

Malon was short of breath. The old woman had said…they didn't know what was wrong…Link could die…. She rushed immediately to the bed, touching the vein in his neck. There was a slow pulse. She sighed in relief, but she touched his forehead and discovered he did indeed have a deadly fever. He moaned and deliriously began muttering nonsense. She could hear her name among the mumblings. A few hours later, Malon stood up, stretched, and turned around to adjust her chair, and when she turned back, Link's eyes were open and he was looking at her.

"It's hot," he muttered. "I need water…."

With trembling hands she helped him sit up and put a cup to his lips. After he drank, he closed his hand over her slender fingers, bringing them to his lips to place a gentle kiss on her palm. His head was facing downwards, but his eyes were turned up; deep blue eyes watching her keenly. Malon wanted to see them clearly, so she gently brought up his chin with the hand he wasn't holding. Link's eyes were deeper than Lake Hylia, and she was drowning in them. He began to speak quietly, seeming suddenly gone from his feverish delirium.

"You know, the only thing I've been thinking about this whole time, even when I was rambling… was that if I died, I never could have told you… told you what I feel. Malon, everything I've done to save Hyrule…I only do it to protect you. I love you, and I'd give my life for you."

"You almost did," she whispered, still staring into the vast blueness of his eyes.

Link gave her a soft smile, running his thumb back and forth across her cheek. "It wouldn't have mattered to me if you were all right." Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. Time slowed down, and Malon tentatively closed the distance between their lips.

Link returned her kiss tenderly, enfolding her in his arms, holding her close as he could. After a few moments, Malon broke slowly away and leaned her head against his bare shoulder, clinging to him. He rested his chin gently on her head, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her hair. She fit so perfectly against him, it felt wrong to ever break away. But he knew he had to tell her a bitter truth.

"Malon," he whispered into her hair, "when I'm better, I'll have to go away again. I still have to defeat Ganondorf, and I have to atone… to do something about what I did here in the village. You know what happened."

"No, Link," interrupted Malon. "You _can't _keep blaming yourself for that. It wasn't your fault because you were under their control. And nobody even knows it was you, okay? You don't have to worry about it anymore. Don't leave me again…please."

He ran his fingers softly across her cheek. "If I don't save Hyrule, who will? Remember what I told you, I want to do this to keep you safe."

Malon hugged him so hard that he had to push her away gently. "Hey, be careful, I'm the injured one here," he laughed softly. "That kind of hurts."

"Oh, sorry." She looked at the bandages on his side. A new spot of blood stood out against the white linen. "I'll have to change these. I…I like it better when you're unconscious. It really looks like it could hurt you." Malon got a basin of water and some bandages. "This _is _going to hurt," she warned, unclasping one of the bandages.

Link squirmed and grimaced in pain. "Stop moving," Malon scolded. "You're making it worse. I'll pour in some blue potion. That should sooth it." After she was done, she sat next to him, holding his hand. He fell asleep quickly, tired from his fever, but Malon stayed awake till dawn, making sure he was all right.

She cared for him for several days, and at last, his fever broke. He was able to sit up in bed and speak clearly. His wounds were finally healing, and after another two days he got up and walked stiffly around the room, leaning on Malon's shoulder. He declared he would be ready to leave the next morning, to which Malon said nothing. She nodded and smiled, but inside she was terrified for him.

That night he was moved to Lon Lon Ranch, to make room for refugees in Nara's house. Malon insisted that Link sleep in her bedroom; that she would be just as comfortable if not more in the stables.

In the morning, Link woke up with the sunrise. He went into the stable, but Malon wasn't in there. He found her on the far side of the corral, bundled against the chilly morning mist with a shawl. She ducked her head when she heard him behind her, quickly wiping her eyes.

Link's heart ached unbearably when he saw the tears streaking her cheeks; knowing he was the cause of her pain. "Malon, no… please, _please_ don't cry…."

She turned around and buried her face in his tunic. "Then don't leave. Promise me you'll never leave again. I just rescued you from all that danger… what if they do it to you again? I couldn't live if something else happened to you!"

Link stroked her hair. "Malon," he began softly, "you know that's not something I can promise. I don't want to do it; you know that, too. But I _have_ to. Please understand… if I don't horrible things will happen to me _and _you and everyone in Hyrule. I really am doing it for you."

"But-" Before Malon could protest any more, Link swept her into a fierce kiss. For that instant Malon felt safe, like nothing bad would happen to either of them. When they drew apart, he had an intensely earnest look on his face.

"Listen to me… I can't promise that I won't go, but there is something I _can_ promise: that I'll come back to you… and when I do… will you marry me?"

She smiled bravely. "I'd do it right now if I could." They kissed one more time, soft, sweet, and brief, then Link brought out his ocarina. He began playing the notes of Epona's Song, and Malon's sweet, clear voice joined in with him. She continued to sing even after he mounted the red mare and rode towards the wall that surrounded the ranch. He paused when he got out of the corral, waved, then galloped full-force towards the wall, Navi trailing behind him. Epona jumped in a strong, graceful motion, carrying them over and into Hyrule field. Malon stood there for a few minutes, then slowly walked into the house. She whispered a prayer to the Goddesses to watch over Link and bring him back safely and quickly, and finally, she thanked them for his love. For yes, she knew he would come back. Until then, she would be content to wait.


End file.
